"Want to know what happened next? Tune in next time!"
Lu Ming said this, and Feng Qingzhu paused, looking as though she hadn't heard enough. She quickly hid it, her eyes rippling as she glanced at Lu Ming, then turned and left.
Lu Ming didn't mind. The story had only just begun. Once he reached the exciting part, he could try asking her for the Eighteen Green Bamboo Forms.
Of course, telling stories alone might not be enough.
But since Feng Qingzhu lacked cultivation resources, he could use stories to draw closer to her, then ask to exchange them for cultivation elixirs. It was worth a try.
He would have to take things slowly.
Deep in thought, Lu Ming left the clearing in front of the woods and headed back to his courtyard.
As he passed an intersection, he suddenly heard the faint sound of meat being chopped from the direction of the Public Kitchen.
Lu Ming couldn't help wondering: lunch was already over, so why was a cook still preparing food there?
A thought struck him. The cooks at the Public Kitchen were usually nowhere to be seen, and the meals for four hundred disciples each day seemed to appear out of thin air.
Hearing unusual sounds coming from the kitchen, Lu Ming grew curious and quietly approached.
He peeked inside and his eyes widened.
In the kitchen, the greasy curtain stirred in the breeze, revealing a vague figure behind it. Lu Ming caught a glimpse of the person's profile—and it was none other than Wei Jinlin.
"What..." Lu Ming's mouth twitched.
Wei Jinlin, Director of the Military Service Bureau, martial arts instructor, Utility Room steward, messenger... and cook?!
Seeing Wei Jinlin's stern face and apparent displeasure, Lu Ming suddenly remembered that Wei Jinlin had taught him the Cloud-Piercing Finger that afternoon, causing dinner to be served an hour late. He hadn't looked too pleased then, either.
So he'd been late preparing dinner because he'd forgotten the time while teaching Lu Ming a technique.
Clearly, Wei Jinlin detested working overtime.
Lu Ming's eyes flickered. He hurriedly backed away and slipped off, hoping to avoid getting dragged into it.
Not long after Lu Ming left, someone outside the Public Kitchen used lightness skills to dash inside, leaving a string of ghostly afterimages.
When he stopped, the man turned out to be an old fellow with graying temples. Seeing a table already laid with a delicious, fragrant meal of both fish and meat, he narrowed his eyes with a smile and said,
"Master Wei, the cook here is quite good. He's made such a delicious spread, and I happen to be hungry."
He sat down and began eating without ceremony.
Wei Jinlin watched him eat without expression.
Only after the old man had finished did he say flatly,
"As Director of the Military Service Bureau in neighboring Black Mountain County, what brings you here at such a crucial moment?"
Xu Shou set down his chopsticks and sighed. "You don't know the half of it, Brother. There was an Iron-Skin Pig Demon at the Grand Martial Arts Arena, and a demon showed up and snatched it away."
Wei Jinlin's gaze sharpened. "One of the Military Service Bureau's disciples?"
"Several died," Xu Shou replied.
"Don't expect me to help you cover it up."
Xu Shou smiled bitterly. "I wouldn't dare! I'll take responsibility for this myself. It's just that demons are running rampant, and with my abilities, I can't stop them.
"Besides, the demon stole the Iron-Skin Pig Demon's corpse, which we needed for training. There are more than four hundred disciples in Black Mountain County this year, and they won't get a chance to train. Won't that put them in danger?
"So I was wondering... could you lend me your grounds and let them move here?"
Seeing Wei Jinlin frown, Xu Shou quickly added,
"I've already informed the Prefecture City, and they've approved it."
"The Prefecture City has approved it, so why ask me? But four hundred disciples are too many. I don't have room for them here."
Seeing that Wei Jinlin was giving way, Xu Shou hurriedly said, "We don't need that many. I'll bring just the top hundred."
"I have a proposal."
"Please, Brother. Go ahead."
Wei Jinlin stood and clapped his hands. "I don't keep idle people here. Once you move in, you'll be the cook."
Xu Shou stared at the dishes on the table in astonishment. "Did you make all this, Brother? Doesn't the Military Service Bureau have a budget for hiring a cook?"
"That's my money."
Xu Shou coughed. "In that case, it's no problem. We can deduct the Red Cloud County disciples' daily food expenses from my budget."
Wei Jinlin stared at him. "Your budget?"
Xu Shou's face stiffened. He ventured, "Your... budget, Brother?"
"Good. Wash the dishes first and get some practice."
Xu Shou watched Wei Jinlin stroll away with ease, then looked at the chaotic mess of plates and bowls he'd been left to clean. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"I'm an old man!"
The next day.
The Grand Martial Arts Arena.
"In five days, we'll hold a preliminary test. The three people who make it furthest into the Iron Stake Area will each receive a Red Token."
Wei Jinlin addressed the white-robed disciples from the elevated platform.
One hundred elite disciples from the Black Mountain County Military Service Bureau were about to arrive. They would inevitably compete for the Iron-Scaled Python Demon.
All he could do was divide three shares among the local disciples beforehand, as fairly as possible.
Whoever earned them would have to prove themselves.
At his words, the crowd began buzzing.
"A preliminary test in five days? We don't have to take a Red Token ourselves? The three who get furthest in all qualify?"
"Wouldn't that make it harder? If you're strong enough to place in the top three, how could you fail to get a Red Token afterward?"
"No, it seems Master Wei hasn't limited the number of Red Tokens from the start! Doesn't that mean someone with enough ability could get two—or even more?"
"I'd be happy just to get one Red Token. I only want a tenth of the Demon Meat."
"I bet none of us have a chance. Only Chen Feng, Feng Qingzhu, Zhao Zhiqiu, and the others might make it!"
The crowd turned its gaze toward Chen Feng and the others. They stood out among the white-robed disciples, each having made it further into the Iron Stake Area than anyone else.
Feng Qingzhu, Zhao Zhiqiu, Liu Yiyi, and the others had all made it to around the twentieth or twenty-first stake.
Chen Feng, however, had left everyone in the dust, reaching the twenty-third stake. He was already widely regarded as the top disciple of this year's class.
Lu Ming was inconspicuous in the crowd, but his eyes flashed. A preliminary test in five days?
The top three would each get a Red Token—that meant a share of Demon Meat!
Remembering how Wei Jinlin had unexpectedly prepared lunch again after it was already over the previous day, Lu Ming had a feeling the two things might be connected.
Perhaps something had changed. After all, no one had mentioned a preliminary test before.
In that case, he couldn't miss out on his share of the Demon Meat. No matter how much was left afterward, he wanted to secure one share first.
"Enough. Back to training." Wei Jinlin finished speaking and turned to leave.
Lu Ming put aside his distracting thoughts and stepped into the Iron Stake Area to train in silence.
[Currently evolving Acupoint Divine Ability (4696/10000)...] [Currently evolving...] [Currently evolving Acupoint Divine Ability (5892/10000)...]
That night, three days later, Lu Ming had just finished the day's training. His Blood-Qi Power surged throughout his body, and his aura climbed to its peak.
Whoosh! It was as though some kind of shackle had been broken. Blood-Qi Power seeped into his muscles, and Lu Ming's strength surged!
"I've reached Flesh Refining!" Lu Ming clenched his fist, his heart pounding with excitement.
He had finally entered this level. Now he'd have an even better chance in the preliminary test the day after tomorrow.
Over the next two days, he continued training at the Grand Martial Arts Arena each day. In the afternoon, he sparred with Feng Qingzhu in front of the woods and told her stories.
Two days later, with the Military Service Bureau Grand Examination just a month away, the preliminary test began!
At the Grand Martial Arts Arena, everyone looked eager and alert as they stared at the Iron-Scaled Python Demon, its scales gleaming like black iron, deep in the Iron Stake Area.
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